


Victorious

by WeWereInfinite



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: AU, AU ending, Alternate Ending, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bittersweet, F/M, Gay, IT Chapter Two Spoilers, M/M, Movie: IT Chapter Two (2019), Post-IT Chapter Two (2019), Reddie, benverly - Freeform, less sad?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:07:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22083112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeWereInfinite/pseuds/WeWereInfinite
Summary: Tonight they were victorious.Alternate ending of It: chapter two, where a certain asthmatic child doesn’t die.
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	Victorious

Tonight they were victorious. 

Eddie and Richie had bolted quickly out of the well house along with all the other losers. They’d lost Stan before he’d even gotten back to Derry. They’d just lost Mike in the final battle just now, even after he’d drug them all here. Richie was just dragging Eddie close behind him and they all ran far all the way out of the house to safety to watch that nightmare collapse entirely. Eddie was in his defense mode of making sounds and panicking a bit. Richie totally understood that. 

They all stopped when they got to a safe spot. Eddie and Richie still holding hands. Richie had been so terrified that Eddie was going to die, or everyone at once. How five crazy adults had managed to finally kill the fucking clown, Richie didn’t know. All he knew right now was that Eddie and three of his best friends were alive standing here together after finally taking down the villain. He felt himself clinging to Eddie, who held onto him as well. He moved to wrap his arms around Eddie snugly. 

“Is this real?” Richie asked seriously. Eddie wrapped his arms around him. They were all clearly in shock, considering they’d thought this was all over 27 years ago. Now, it seemed even more real, but what if It was still able to come back? What if that thing came back in another 27 years? 

Richie felt Eddie squeezing his hand. The taller boy looked from the house to Eddie. Thank fuck he was okay. Eddie had been stabbed in there for the second time since they’d been back in Derry and it had scared the holy shit out of Richie. He thought he might not make it, but thank whatever force for letting him keep alive Eddie in his own life. 

After watching the last of the house disappear, they all went to the quarry to wash off the blood. Eddie cringed as he was the last to get in. He hated the idea of washing themselves in dirty water. He jumped and ended up next to Richie. 

“This is disgusting, you know. How are you supposed to get clean by washing yourself in dirty water?” Eddie told him and Richie genuinely started laughing hysterically. Fuck, he was so in love with this man. Edie gave him a look and he couldn’t do anymore than just laugh more. He reached over to gently push Eddie’s head under water. 

Once underwater beside Eddie, Richie looked over at him and made eye contact. The taller man would be blushing if he weren’t submerged in water. He leaned in with his face and that’s the moment Eddie knew exactly what was happening. He was in shock, but he followed Richie’s lead, leaning in and closing his eyes. 

Their lips met softly and after a minute Richie’s arms wrapped around Eddie. Fuck, this was literally everything he’d ever wanted in his life. He’d only ever wanted his best friend. He’d been in love with Eddie since that summer 27 years ago. He’d come to accept that would never happen, yet here they were. 

They had to pull out of the water because of air being necessary, especially for Eddie. Richie clung to him and found silent sobs rushing through his body into Eddie’s chest. The shorter man’s arms were around him, too. 

“I’m s-so sorry… I’m just so fucking happy that you’re alive, Eds… I love you way too much to have you die on me,” he sobbed into his chest to make it quieter. 

“You- I- really? You love me? I- I love you, too, Rich, so much.. You’ve always been my best friend,” Eddie added, unsure of how Richie meant that, even after they’d just kissed. Did he just kiss his best friend? 

“You are my best friend, too, but I- I’ve kind of been in love with you for 27 years…?” Richie explained, blushing and looking down. Eddie flushed as well. He hated that he’d forgotten everything and everyone for half his life. He’d forgotten Richie and how crazy he made him feel. He’d definitely felt more than friends feelings for Richie back then. He just most certainly had no idea. He’d always tried to be and thought he was straight. He reached out his hands to run over Richie’s cheeks softly. 

“I’ve- fuck, I’ve obviously felt more than I thought all those years… I’m so sorry for making you wait so long. I might be in love with you, too, Rich. I-“ he managed and Richie was shocked again before pulling Eddie in for another gentle kiss. This was everything he’d ever dreamed of. He’d dreamed of Eddie saying those words back for so long. He had more tears now. Eddie started leaking some tears, too.

“Finally!” Beverly said as the rest of their friends applauded dramatically. Riche flipped them off and Eddie laughed before wrapping his arms around Richie and kissing him more properly this time. He joined the other man in using one hand to flip off their friends. The others laughed. Beverly squeezed Ben’s hand and gave him a tiny smile. At least a couple of good things came of this mess. It was a good thing they all came back to Derry when Mike called them. Well, except Stan. 

Bill was obviously upset over Mike. They all were. He did blame himself for both his death and Stan’s. He blamed himself for Georgie and Dean, too. He only felt the tears after they started choking him. Bev and Ben immediately came to him, wrapping their arms around him. Eddie and Richie joined only a second later. The shortest man held onto his best friends, all pressed together in the water. He was now crying along with everyone else. 

“None of this was your fault, Bill. Not Stan or Mike. We all made our own decisions when Mike called us. And quit blaming yourself for the kids already, man. You couldn’t have helped no matter what way you look at logically, okay? This mess is on all of us, anyway, not just you,” Eddie told his best friend, rubbing his back a bit as he still had tears streaming down his own face. 

“What Eddie Spaghetti said. I mean, how much longer are you going to play the martyr? Go back to your life far away from here. Go back to writing bad endings, Billy,” Richie added with a small chuckle, earning a laugh from Bill and therefore everyone else. Eddie nudged him with a glare up at him.

“Don’t call me that,” Eddie whined playfully and everyone started laughing a bit. It was their way to relieve stress, laughing and joking. 

“T-thank you all for coming back to help end this for me. You’re m-my family and I’m glad in a bittersweet way that we got to be t-together again now, even for this…” Bill stuttered with more tears. 

“We love you, too, Bill,” Beverly said with a pat on his shoulder. She looked around at all of the boys who she remembered in their tighty whities, in their clubhouse, cleaning up her bloody bathroom, in the sewers, along with so many other memories. They were the best kind of friends she had never imagined she would have. 

After spending a while down playing in the water like the last time, they all realized they would have to do something with their lives. Where did they all go from here? Richie had shows all over planned already. Eddie had a job back at his place and his wife he’d never actually loved. Beverly didn’t have anything left that she wanted from what she’d done in these 27 years. Ben only had his career and home. Bill had Audra, his wife, and his writing. 

In the end, they left slowly. First, Bill left them all, hugging each of them tightly and making he had everyone’s numbers. Richie told them he would make a group chat, obviously called the Losers Club soon. Then, they all thanked god for technology allowing such things. They all promised to FaceTime and everything else. They wanted to keep in touch even if they all ended up on opposite sides of the planet. 

Bill walked off after that, Beverly kissing his cheek and squeezing his shoulder. After he left, Beverly and Ben hugged Richie and Eddie, Beverly telling them both to keep in touch. She had tears rolling down her cheeks when she hugged them both. 

“I am so proud of you both. Please, be safe and take care. Also, you better make that chat, Richie,” she said with a laugh and a kiss on both of their cheeks, too. 

“We love you guys,” Ben told them before the two walked off, waving one last time and intertwined by their hands. 

“So…” Richie started as he looked over at Eddie. What was he supposed to say and do right then? He’d almost forgotten life wasn’t so easy to just let them go together and make a life together so easily. Eddie bit his lip up at the taller man. 

“So what?” Eddie asked.

“So do you come here often?” Richie teased with a small smirk. “Because I come here to think about your beautiful mom privately.”

“Beep beep, Richie,” Eddie replied as he grabbed the other man, tugging him down to connect their lips together again. Why had they not done this before? Why had they wasted half their lives on not doing this? It felt so good and just like it was exactly where they were meant to be. 

Richie was red as he happily wrapped his own arms around the other’s waist snuggly. He was able to not think about their situational the moment. He could only think about the fact that his lips were pressed against Eddie’s. Could only think about the fact that he was so very in love with this man. Could only think about how perfect this all felt. Well, almost perfect, at least.

Almost.

After a long minute of their lips meshing for the first time, Richie forced himself away. He pulled back to gaze heavy lidded down at Eddie. This was perfect until he remembered Eddie’s still had a choice to make. He had to choose his wife, which he’s mentioned not loving a couple times since the club’s reunion, or Richie Tozier, Derry’s resident fag.

“Eds… I- What are we going to do? What are you going to do?” Richie asked him with a scared glance. He was genuinely scared to death of the only love of his life leaving after that kiss. He’d only ever drunk kissed two people and never enjoyed it. He might have been secretly saving himself, even thinking this would never happen.

“Fuck, man, I- I don’t know… I don’t love Myra, but I’m kind of scared to end it. I feel like shit,” he mumbled as his eyes wandered down to the ground. He wished it would be as simple as just moving with Richie and living together bickering and happier than ever and all that.

“Hmm…” Richie hummed, thinking everything over.

In the end, Richie helped Eddie with Myra before they got in Richie’s car and drove to where Richie’s shows were. Richie made that group chat and they all mostly kept their promise of FaceTiming. They moved in together and lived together happily ever after, bickering and making love to make up for all the time they’d missed together.


End file.
